DataPhysKit: a 3D printed toolkit for data physicalization

Abstract

Constructive physicalization is a design paradigm for the information visualization domain that has been shown to facilitate understanding and reflection on the represented data by involving the audience in the construction process of the visualization itself. This thesis proposes a 3D toolkit for constructive physicalization workshops that can be easily printed with commercially available materials and technology and mapped to different types of data. The proposed toolkit provides users with the means to build simple and effective token-based constructive data visualizations, allowing also for personalization through the use of layer addons (a set of building blocks used to modify the appearance of the tokens and enhance the expressivity of the final visualization). The toolkit was evaluated in a workshop in which participants were asked to record environmental and personal data collected during urban walks and map them to the different components of the toolkit in order to understand its potential for improving their awareness and providing an engaging experience.